My friend asked his mother, ‘O my compassionate mother! What makes you cry?’

His mother responded, ‘O my dear son! Grief due to separation from you makes me cry. How will I live without you?’

Then he asked his wife, ‘What has compelled you to cry?’

She stated, ‘O my dear husband! Our life will become difficult without you. Grief at your departure is tearing apart my heart. What will happen to me after you pass away?’

Then he called his weeping children close and asked, ‘My children! What makes you cry?’

The children replied, ‘We will be orphaned after your death. The protection of a father will be taken away from us. What will become of us after your death? It is grief due to separation from you which is making us cry.’

After hearing all of this, my friend said, ‘Sit me up.’ Once he had been sat up, he began to say to his family members, ‘You are all crying for the world. Each one of you is not crying for me, rather you are crying out of fear for the ending of your benefit. Is there any amongst you that was moved to crying whilst thinking about what my state will be in the grave? Soon I will be left in a dark, terrifying grave. Have any of you cried because I will have to face Munkar and Nakīr after my death? Have any of you cried out of the fear of me standing in the court of Allah Almighty (to be held to account)? None of you cried because of the distress that I will encounter in the Hereafter; each one of you cried for your own worldly reasons.’

Then he let out a shriek and passed away.”